In today's market, networking is an extremely important part of job-hunting. Many experts will tell you that it is still the
most popular way that 65% of job seekers get hired. It is through someone they knew who influenced the hiring decision.

In my book, You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting, I talk mainly about using the Internet to search for employment opportunities. So what does the Internet have to do
with networking? There is a huge potential for networking on the Internet; even those who are shy can network like a pro.

Think about this for a moment ... most companies have internal referral programs that pay money to their employees for referring
friends and acquaintances that are hired by the company. Often, these referral bonuses are worth hundreds if not thousands
of dollars.

I teach a technique commonly referred to as X-Ray in my book. With this technique, you can target several companies that you
are interested in working for. Instead of submitting your resume directly to the Personnel department like everyone else,
you X-Ray those companies and find an employee who works for each company.

It is recommended that you contact this person via email and generate small talk by simply asking the person what the company
culture is like. In your email, you will explain your interest in the company. Also stress you desire to get an opinion about
the company atmosphere from someone who currently works there.

Once the employee replies back, the door to exchange small talk has been opened. After about a week of a few short dialogues,
you inform the employee of your interest in applying for a position. You ask the employer if the company has a referral program.
If the employee says yes, you thank the employee for being so kind and helpful and offer to send your resume directly to them
so that they can submit your resume to personnel.

The employee simply forwards your resume to personnel. Once your resume has been forwarded, you follow up with personnel.
This is a very important step. First, by contacting personnel you are verifying that they indeed do have your resume. Secondly,
you are reminding them of your inside contact who you now have a relationship with.

Send an email to your inside contact and thank them for submitting your resume. Inform them that you will keep them abreast
of all communications with personnel and ask them to do the same for you. Your chances of getting an interview greatly increase
because your new inside contact is now motivated to see you at least get an opportunity to interview.

If you are hired, this creates a win-win. You get a job and the employee gets a fat referral bonus. The key to the success
of this technique is the referral program. Companies implement these programs because they believe internal referrals are
a great way to hire.

About the Author:
Otis Collier is a certified Internet recruitment specialist. During his 14-year recruiting career he has trained over 5,000
Fortune 500 corporate recruiters and 3,000 job seekers. He is the author of a new book titled, You Don't Know SQUAT About Job Hunting.